$500–$4,000. Common Tokyo views: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Nouet's Tokyo views have historical as well as artistic value, documenting pre-war landmarks. French connection adds collector interest.
Ikegami Honmonji, the head temple of the Nichiren Buddhist sect located in the Ota ward of southern Tokyo, appears in this [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print as a place of pilgrimage and architectural grandeur rising above the surrounding residential neighborhoods. The temple, founded in 1282 on the site where the monk Nichiren died, sits atop a hill approached by a steep stone staircase of 96 steps. Nouet likely captures the view looking up toward the five-story pagoda and the main hall, with the monumental stairway creating a strong vertical axis that pulls the eye upward. As a Frenchman living in Tokyo, Nouet was drawn to the city's temples as islands of historical permanence amid rapid modernization. The print records a Tokyo that was already disappearing, soon to be devastated by wartime bombing.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Ikegami Honmonji was created by Noël Nouët.
Ikegami Honmonji was published by Unsodo.
Ikegami Honmonji depicts landscapes, temples & shrines, and architecture.
